How do I test an approval flow?

This is especially useful when you want to test a newly created approval flow or determine why an approval flow did not display properly.

To access the testing tool:

1. Click Manage > Approval Processes.
2. Locate the approval process you want to test by scrolling through the search results. You can filter by selecting one of the pull-down menu selections for Approvable Type or clicking Search Options to refine your search further.
3. Click on the title of the approval process you want to edit.
4. Click Edit.
5. Access the Testing tab.

From this tab, you can select the exact approvable you want to test:

1. Click Add Approvable.
2. Search for the approvable you want to test. You can search by entering the ID, filtering by the date created, or clicking Search Options to refine your search further.
3. Click the check box next to the item(s) you want to test.
4. Click Add to Currently Selected.
5. Click Done. This moves your selections into the Currently Selected section. At this point, your document selections appear on the My Test Approvables page.
6. Click the radio button next to the approvable you want to test. You can only test one at a time.

Analyze the information displayed in the Resulting Approval Flow section. This shows what your particular approval flow would look like if you submitted it directly from the approvable.

The following troubleshooting scenarios can help you solve some common issues you might face when testing an approval flow:

• You are not sure why certain approval nodes are listed on the approval process you are viewing.
  • For more details about why a particular node was added to an approval flow, hover over the node. This displays the Reason field, which is a part of the approval rule configuration.
• The testing page of the approvable displays something different than the actual approval process.
  • This suggests that someone made a change to that approval process between the time it was created and the time of your testing. For more information, go to the actual approvable and click the History tab.
• Your testing works as you intended the approval flow to function, but the actual approvable document did not work properly.
  • This most likely a resulted from an issue associated with the customizations for your company's site. Contact Ariba Customer Support if your testing worked properly, but there was an issue with the actual approval.
• The Customer Administrator group appeared in your approval flow, even though it was not added originally.
  
  • Approval nodes that do not contain any active users within your site automatically add the Customer Administrator group to the approval flow as a catch all.
• When testing Custom Forms classic approval flow, the nodes generated from lookup tables do not show in the Testing tab, the approval process needs to be active for this.

Core Procurement > Core Administration > Approval Flows